I recently discovered via much Tumblring, that apperantly humanity has created its own little crisis. That is, we are causing, somehow, bumblebees to go extinct. Now, let’s stop and look at this before those bugphobics of you cheer. Bees, the creatures who pollinate flowers, who spread that pollen to other flowers, such as the flowers on fruit trees, are going extinct. Bees, who create honey, which I personally like to mix with peanut butter and eat with veggies, are going extinct.

“Poisoning of honeybees became routine in the mid-1970s with the EPA’s approval of neurotoxins encapsulated in dust-size particles that took days to release their deadly gas.” – Huffington post writer, Evaggelos Vallianatos

Unnatural pesticides have been a thing for a while now. Everyone uses them. Farms use them, gardeners use them, even schools use them. But here’s the thing about pesticides. They kill pests. And a lot of times, theses so called ‘pests’ have a part in the eco-system. In this case, bees. I’m not sure some extra pounds on my watermelons are worth the end of life as we know it. Nature has other options besides the bees, of course, but none as beneficial to human life.

So please, if you would, take Tumblr User Japhers‘ suggestion, and plant some of these flowers this spring. It WILL help, it will give bees flowers and food that isn’t poisoned, and hopefully, will give them a chance to survive. Because honey is tastey, and so are all those pretty pretty fruits we enjoy so much. And bees aren’t so bad. Definately not as dangerous as yellowjackets.

Personally, I’m going to be planting Sage, Thyme, and Lavender! They’ll go great as tea, and also as Bee food.

While doing my normal average tumbling for the day, I came across this lively discussion. Apperantly, it has become doctoral procedure to discriminate against women for their ability to bear children. Several examples spoke of in that small conversation prove the point.

When a woman goes in for a Tubal Ligation, a process by which a woman’s fallopian tubes are severed, and then tied, henceforth stopping any form of conception, she is given a stern lecture of the likes of “You’ll regret this later in life.” or “Have a kid first, then come back.”

What I find absolutely appalling is that men, when going in to have a vasectomy, are basically given an immediate okay. It’s ridiculous that women are told to go home, when asking for the same sort of rights as men. We should be able to control our reproductive rights.

I personally, want as many children as I can carry. I don’t think I would ever consider having a sterilization surgery. But that doesn’t mean other women, women who do not wish to care for children, shouldn’t be allowed to!

With a title like that, I wouldn’t put it past you to think this post is going to be all negative-nelly whining and teenage angst. Unfortunately for you, that’s only partly correct. Oh, don’t worry, I know why you came. To get the skinny on another person’s woes, their thought process. Did you know that there is an actual word for that? Well, there is, and the three hours I spent scouring google to try and find it, should tell you something about my state of mind right now. But honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you skip this particular entry in my lovely slice of wordery here.

For those of you, like myself, who are more than a little… scatterbrained about financial information or even organisation at it’s most basic, I’ve found out some interesting things recently, thanks to some friends pointing me to this website.

Mint.com is a website that helps you organize your finances for free. I was skeptical at first, thinking that giving these guys my bank information was going to doom me to my bank accounts being stolen.

But after giving them a shot, they’ve proved safe, reliable, and more than helpful. Not only that, but they’ve introduced me to other apps and helpful websites, like Brightnest.com, a website that helps organise, care for, and make your household more financially stable.

The link below leads to an infographic that shows how to store and organize financial information that I was never privy to before. I am so thankful I found this.

In Northern Colorado, a *transgirl was refused access to the girl’s bathroom, because the school board did not understand that she was in fact female, despite what genitalia her body was born with. This is a sad state of affairs, and also the current norm for our societies functioning. Those who do not fit into the Gender Binary are often shoved to the wayside, and told to conform. Instead of being allowed to determine their own autonomy, they are told what to be, male or female. This is not only damaging to the individual, but to our society as a whole. And while there are those who view these people as dangers to society, as deviants and people to be ‘fixed’, this is sincerely not true. One can no more fix those who choose to live outside the gender binary, than one can fix those who have different shades of skin.

Now, to explain what the Gender Binary is. This is the belief, however mistaken, that there are in fact only two genders. These two genders being Male and Female. However, studies have proven that many times, a person, usually between the ages of 12-25 find that they do not, mentally, fit into this gender binary. Often, someone born with male organs will wish to indulge in feminine ideas, such as wearing pretty skirts or painting their nails. Sometimes, someone born female will feel more at home with shorn hair and pants than the traditional female garb.
These are of course, not anything to actually be afraid of, although often the idea is met with revulsion, or violence. The rates of violence against transgender or gender queer individuals is almost equal to that of the violence against gay individuals, or even African American individuals. Often this idea confuses people, and for those raised in heavily traditional homes, this often means that they feel threatened by this lack of traditionalism. There are those who even believe that there is something inherently wrong with those who feel this way, and that in order to correct this behavior, one must strictly adhere to one’s gender roles.
There is a mistaken belief that gender roles exist for a reason. That women are inherently better at caring for children, cooking, housecleaning, and various other homey activities. Men are often touted for strength, and logic, and various trough qualities as well. The problem with this is, it is too general. Too narrowed. In this day and age, there are women who have proven to be just as adept at logic as men, scientists, doctors, lawyers. There are men who have proven to be more capable of caring for children than the women who birth the children. There are kindergarten teachers who are male, and their children love them. So holding to these mistaken gender roles does nothing but refute that people are in fact people and capable of being good at things not because of their gender, but because they work hard at it and try.
This ties in, just as much, to the scientific studies that children without male and female gender role models will grow up somehow lacking. Even in most human sexualities classes, we are taught that without a female role model, women will somehow be unable to relate to other women. Without a male role model, men will become weak willed and unable to stand up for themselves. This is just simply not true. There are numerous single-parent households where the children come out with healthy outlooks on life, and the ability to decide for themselves whether they wish to adhere to these roles society places upon them. Even more so, there are children who grow up in households with two mothers, or two fathers, and they too are quite capable of providing good role models for their children.
In fact, by denying that these individuals, these gender fluid people exist, we are setting a very bad example for our children. By saying, no, it is not alright for boys to wear dresses, we are saying that boys cannot be free to choose their own clothing. By telling girls that they are not allowed to be rough and loud, we are telling them that their opinions, and beliefs should not be upheld however they need to be upheld. A long time ago, there was such a thing as segregation. At this point, we have segregated the genders. They are so separated that boys playing with girls toys are made fun of, and girls playing with boys toys are called ‘tomboys’, as if it is better to be a boy than a girl.
This is saying to our children that to feel other than what WE feel, is in fact, unnatural. That if you do not conform to what society tells you to conform to, you are wrong, and need to be ‘fixed’. This is not a healthy outlook for children. In fact, this sort of parenting has lead to massive suicide rates in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender queer teens. Instead of embracing, and allowing our children to change as they need to, to learn about the world, we lock them down, force them to conform to our ideas of the norm. This is no better than locking a bird in a cage. Safe that bird might be, but never happy.
The most radical views upon our gender-non-conforming populace say that they are unnatural, that ‘God does not make mistakes’. These are the same sort of people who will refuse a transwoman her hormone treatments and force her to dress as a man. These are the sorts of people who will say that prayer and bible camp can fix a child of his homosexuality. These people have been proven wrong, time and time again. Hiding away someone under false clothes will only lead to depression, to pain and possibly to suicide. And the camps they send homosexuals to, to cure them, have been proven dysfunctional, and often cruel. There is no reason to consider these people deviants or unnatural. Those who do not fit into the gender binary are in fact to be celebrated. They add new life to the world around us, new perspectives to enjoy it from. It is one of the most natural things in the world, and diversity is required for a species to thrive and live.
Often, the final question is “How are we supposed to act around them?” or, “How are we supposed to treat them?” These questions can be answered with an old idiom. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If the one asking wishes to be treated with respect, treat the gender fluid individuals with the same respect. If one wishes to be allowed to be accepted for who one is, others have the right to expect the same acceptance of who they are. If it’s confusing to know what pronouns to use with someone, ask. If something said might be offensive, bite the tongue. Just treat them with all the respect that they, as a person, deserve.
It really comes down to basic decency. Just because someone has chosen to live outside what is the norm for society doesn’t mean that we must shun them, or that they are wrong. It simply means that they are different, and we must accept them. The gender binary is something we as a society created in order to feel more comfortable with ourselves. It is a construct that is outdated, and tired. No longer are there only two genders, but a whole spectrum. Those that feel male some days and female others, those that choose to be female when born with male genitalia, those that choose to be no gender at all, and those who do not choose, but instead know; they are, all of them, beautiful people, just as those whose genders match their genitalia are beautiful people too. Be kind, be respectful, and care for those around you, no matter how different from yourself they may be. That’s the simplest rule one can follow, and the oldest commandment in any religion. It is time Society accepted it, and began to live by it.

((This scene was deleted due to it’s repetitive nature when combined with other scenes in the book. However, it was a unique perspective and look at the characters from Yumil, the Sorcerer’s, point of view. Have a look!))

That night, Yumil did not join the large group for dinner, sitting apart instead, and eating a summoned apple. The silver haired princess clearly disliked his separating himself, as she stormed over to him pretty quickly. Looking up, he realized she had a bowl of food in her hand. Raising an eyebrow, he muttered a quick spell, freezing the food solid. She made an indescribable sound, glowered at him, and huffed her way back to the group.

Good riddance. Yumil didn’t exactly want to deal with her anyway. The smell of the sausage and hastily cooked rice was making his stomach queasy. He wasn’t sure if it was hunger or sickness, and he wasn’t taking a chance. His summoned food was more than enough for him.

Watches were established, and luckily, they had enough people for three per watch, two if Dirk excluded Jorgan, Lette and Yumil. Nights were dangerous on the plains, if one was unaware. Usually, dangerous beasts avoided fires and the sounds people made. But at night, when the fire is banked, and no one is moving about too much, some get curious at the smell of food, and come closer.

They never did have that problem. Yumil knew it was because of the creatures sleeping inside him. No self respecting animal would attack something more dangerous than itself unless it had to. And in this case, everything under the sun could tell that he was far more powerful than he appeared.

For his part, Yumil was attempting to avoid as many of the group as possible. Large groups made his skin crawl, almost as much as being alone with someone. He much preferred solitude, and this was not the place to get it. Luckily, few of the warriors they’d brought wanted to speak to him, his atrocities too near in their memories. That didn’t stop the child from staring at him, during the long trudging walk the horses took them on. Yumil raised a raven eyebrow at the male, and the child ducked his head. He couldn’t be more than twelve. Perhaps younger, even. His eyes though…. Something about them was familiar.

Taking another deep breath, Yumil turned away from the green eyed child, and towards his book. He had taken up reading again. During his apprenticeship, his master had instilled in him a love of books and all things to be read. Yumil had always had a natural sort of curiosity, something that made his horrid existence worse and better at the same time. Knowledge truly was power.

He couldn’t help but notice the princesses looking at him as well. The priestess obviously shared her mother’s view on his personality, since she kept sending him pitiful looks, and attempting to feed him of all things. Princess Lette was beginning to become a sore in his side, and he was attempting to think up ways to make her life hell without actually harming her. A bit of honey on her skin was good for her, and it would also attract ants like nothing else. Perhaps a few layers applied to her skin while she slept. Yes, that would work.

Princess Eamon was a whole different story. She was dangerous. Warrior through and through, Eamon would not hesitate to kill him. The only reason she had not killed him yet was because he was useful. God how he hated that word. But for now, it was his armor, his shield. They would not kill him, and that would give him time to break this damnable binding. He would foil that God one way or another, and have his revenge.

The voices in his blood spoke whispers of tearing him from his throne and rending his godly limbs into dust. Another hissed that he should do the same with these pitiful mortals. A third reminded him that he was immortal, infallible. He would be doing them justice.

He quieted the voices, the demons he’d taken into his heart, and settled them with whispered promises for the end of the world, the destruction of all those wicked souls they craved so much. He remembered his master whispering so to the darkness that was darker than his skin, the shadow shapes that swirled across his thin limbs like wraiths. Yumil was too vain for that, so he kept them in his heart, his blood, instead of his skin. Master hadn’t liked that. But he was dead, so what did his opinion matter?

Catching Dirk looking at him however, that was unsettling. The large man held his fate in his hands, and honestly, Yumil wasn’t sure whether he should cozy up to the man, or if he should make him more of an enemy. One way, he could end up worse even than he was as a child. The other, he might end up losing every ounce of freedom he currently claimed. Either option was enough to send chills down his spine and make him retreat into books rather than think on it any more.

The only point in Dirk’s favor was that he was clearly still the innocent that Yumil remembered. He sighed, letting the breath out with a long sigh. He didn’t care that the man had grown up. He didn’t care that Dirk might have had bad experiences because of what he’d done. The male was an innocent, the same as the children that Yumil had spared. Yumil would never regret sparing him. Although for a moment, on the battlefield, he’d felt a sting of betrayal that Dirk would turn against him so.

He remembered the look of abject hatred that had lived in Dirk’s eyes, and realized that perhaps that wasn’t the case any longer. How could he feel betrayed when it was clear that Yumil hadn’t wanted to save HIM, but rather, had simply wanted something or someone to champion. He felt that realization become a heavy weight on his heart, and pushed it away as firmly as he pushed away memories and thoughts of anything but his future revenge.

I hope to make this a series in reviews on books that really held my interest and that made me squeal. Yes, Squeal. I am, after all, first and foremost, a fangirl. If there is anything you’ll learn about me, it is that I ADORE things, and when I do? I obsess.

So what are we going to talk about today?

This hot mess of satirical genius, written by two men I highly admire. Neil Gaiman, author of such renowned books as Coraline, Anansi Boys, and Stardust, who captured millions of imaginations with his comic book series, The Sandman. A personal favorite of mine from western graphic novel literature. Terry Pratchett is even more famous, I believe, for his amazing Discworld Series, rightfully so.

These two authors have come together in an amazing tribute to not only christian religion, but also humanity in general. Taking the bible and the end of times and turning it into a spectacle I would gladly read again and again, is no mean feat, ladies and gents. And the characters, they thrill me so!

The two main characters (arguably) are Aziraphale and Crowley.

As described by the book itself, Crowley is “An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards.” This is to say, he is not your average demon. He is the Serpent in the Garden, the Tempter. And he’s not bad looking in a suit and sunglasses, either. He is on a pet name basis with his counterpart, Aziraphale. Specifically, “Angel”. It’s ironic, and the fangirls (read: me.) have run with it.

Aziraphale, however, gets this lovely description: “Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide.” Oddly enough, though, Crowley is the one that strikes me as gay. I don’t know why that is.

Anyway, these two are the driving force behind the story. Literally. Crowley drives a Bentley the entire time in the book, and by the end it is literally held together only by his will. It’s amazing. From losing the baby Antichrist, to saving the world, these two are your ticket through the enchanting world these two men have created for us.

We get to watch these two characters grow and learn and generally fall out of their tired, uninspired existences, into something akin to human-hood, and it is beauteous. Not only do they become greater friends, but they learn that even if something is ineffable, that doesn’t mean it’s written in stone.

The entire plot revolves around Adam, the Antichrist. To quote our esteemed writers, “Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness.” But really he looks like an Adam.

It’s time for Adam to bring about the Apocalypse. Daddy Evilest says so. However, not only are Crowley and Aziraphale hot on his heels to stop him, but so are several other motley crews. The hilarity never stops.

But all in all, the story isn’t even about the apocalypse or about god versus Satan, or about ineffability versus free will. It all comes down to this one quote:

“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

Because that’s what Gaiman and Pratchett have given us in this book. A book about humanity, and not just in humans, but in angels and demons and cars and witches. Humanity, the gift of being able to say, “I don’t like this.” and choosing to do something about it.

All in all, I’ve read this book three times. And I plan to sit down and read it again, very soon. Please, please, do the same.

I am here to announce my theme for this year’s A-to-Z theme challenge, which I know you all have been anticipating with bated breath! As you all know, for the challenge, each participant must choose a theme for the entirety of April, and then post once each day with a post related to their theme. So, without further ado, my theme for April:

Fairytales

A is for Alice (in Wonderland)

Beauty and her Beast

Cinderella

Darling Mother Dearest

Eggs of the Golden Variety

Fairy Godmothers

Greener Pastures (for Goats)

Hansel and Gretel

Is He or Isn’t He (Human)?

Jack and the BeanStalk

Kraken in the Deep (or monsters just out of sight)

Ladies Locked in Towers

Milk Maid’s Dreams

Nightmares in Human Shape (Villains who do not seem villanous at first)

Open Mic Night at Disney

Princesses Dancing (Twelve of them!)

Queens: Are they so evil?

Rumpelstillskin

Snow White

Tristan and Ysolde

Under the Bridge

Vassilissa the Fair

Why the Youngest Son?

X-Rated Endings (not always the sexy kind)

Your Best Friend (the Mouse)

Zoloft for Fairytales

So join us for a romp through the themes and practices of Fairytales, and the minds that created them. You might learn something from my musings, or perhaps you’ll find a few of my little retellings interesting! Please leave comments and make sure to subscribe so that you can keep track!

As the Llama appears, so do I! For those of you who are new to my little blog, which was set up by my LOVELY friend Chris, I’m Nicohle Christopherson. A pleasure to meet you all!

To give a little bit of information about me, I am an aspiring Author, a Nanowrimo winner, an artist, a technical support agent, a girlfriend, and a blogger. Occasionally. When I’m not online, I’m gardening, writing, reading, drinking coffee, or hanging out with my friends.

With luck, my first published work will be a Novella entitled Princess of Dolls. Followed by the first in a series, The Sorcerer and the Swordsman. Please look forward to it!

Due to some interesting turns of event, you’ll see that my URL here isn’t nchristopherson.com, which is probably what you typed in to get here. The reason for this is because Chris, my friend, helped me set this blog up on his own server, for which I am eternally grateful. So, the URL is his website, followed by mine! Please favorites this page, not nchristopherson.com, as that doesn’t currently lead anywhere.

I hope you all intend to watch diligently, as my goal is to put out works at least once a week, preferably more. Some things I will refer you to my tumblr for, as they are just too amusing! I’ll be posting reviews, ideas, various snippets of my works, and also various life-stories.

I hope you enjoy, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all! <3

P.S. Go see Chris’ blog, which is full of amazingly informative articles